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ICONIC Hunter Valley winery Brokenwood is the latest addition to the Ultimate Winery Experiences Australia collection.
Brokenwood completed construction of a stunning new cellar door at the end of 2018, featuring circular tasting pods, an expansive outdoor terrace with views over the Hunter Valley, private tasting and dining rooms, as well as a wine museum overlooking the working barrel hall.
Kate Shilling, executive officer of UWEA said: “This partnership comes at the perfect time for us as we hone our premium offering in the Hunter Valley. Brokenwood is the ideal fit as we develop new wine trails and combine winery experiences with everything from accommodation to helicopter transfers. There are exciting possibilities in the pipeline and we look forward to more announcements in the not too distant future.”
Established in 1970, Brokenwood Wines has become one of Australia’s most famous wine labels. It is home to the famous Graveyard Vineyard Shiraz, the highly acclaimed ILR Reserve Semillon, and the popular Cricket Pitch range.
Brokenwood’s new cellar door is the largest complex in the Hunter Valley wine region, covering 1400 square metres. Also on-site, casual eatery Cru Bar + Pantry is open for breakfast, lunch and snacks every day, serving homemade pies, toasties, wood-fired pizzas and cheese and charcuterie platters and wine by the glass or bottle.
The modern dining room, The Wood Restaurant, offers a contemporary fine dining experience with a strong focus on seafood.
Managing director and chief winemaker Iain Riggs AM said: “This is a great opportunity for us to capitalise on the new facilities and visitor experience we’ve developed at Brokenwood. We can’t wait to welcome more visitors from near and far and look forward to working with UWEA to build on our range of experiences.”
Two immersive Ultimate Winery Experiences are currently available at Brokenwood: The Brokenwood Journey is an introduction to Brokenwood and its range of premium wines. The journey begins with an intimate tasting in the private tasting room, six premium Brokenwood wines, three white and three red, accompanied by six specially prepared canapes. The experience continues with an exclusive behind the scenes tour of the winery to gain an insight into all aspects of winemaking, and delve deep into the history of Brokenwood Wines, before finally an opportunity to taste pre-release Brokenwood wine straight from the barrel.
The VIP Soil to Cellar Experience is an opportunity to gain exclusive access to one of Australia’s most iconic vineyards and taste Brokenwood’s flagship Graveyard Vineyard Shiraz, while enjoying a unique and personalised soil-to-cellar experience. On arrival, guests will be greeted by a personal host for a guided tasting of premium Brokenwood semillon matched with three individually garnished oysters from The Wood Restaurant. A detailed tour of the winery follows to learn the secrets of wine production before taking a closer look at the exceptional Graveyard Shiraz vines. Next, a fine dining experience seated in the private dining room with a locally sourced four-course degustation lunch, with expertly matched award-winning Brokenwood wines. The experience concludes with a gourmet grazing charcuterie platter among the wine barrels in the Barrel Hall sampling Brokenwood’s pre-release Graveyard Vineyard Shiraz and presentation of a bottle to take home.
The UWEA group of wineries is now 22 strong, with representation in most of Australia’s renowned wine regions across six states. In NSW: Audrey Wilkinson and Brokenwood in the Hunter Valley; Victoria: De Bortoli in the Yarra Valley, Pizzini Wines and Brown Brothers in the King Valley, Montalto on the Mornington Peninsula and Tahbilk in Nagambie Lakes; South Australia: Magill Estate, Yalumba in the Eden Valley, Jacob’s Creek, St Hugo and Seppeltsfield in the Barossa Valley, d’Arenberg, Gemtree and Wirra Wines in McLaren Vale; Tasmania: Moorilla Estate and Josef Chromy Wines; WA: Leeuwin Estate, Vasse Felix and Voyager Estate in Margaret River and Mandoon Estate in the Swan Valley, and Queensland: Sirromet, producing wines from the Granite Belt region. Visit ultimatewineryexperiences.com.au/experiences.